Sorghum Syrup | Useful Knowledge

Sorghum syrup has been a stable of southern farm tables since the 1800's. Learn how to make sorghum syrup using sweet sorghum plants stalks. Sorghum syrup is perfect for hot homemade biscuits.
We show you the all the steps involved in growing tasty sweet sorghum syrup. We start with planting, growing, getting rid of aphids naturally using diatomaceous earth, harvesting, pressing, and finally cooking the juice down to a fine syrup. For our sorghum press, we use a GrainMaker sorghum press that has been automated. This press is the perfect size for a homestead. Making syrup is not easy but it is rewarding.
We use sweet sorghum syrup on homemade southern biscuits for breakfast. It is also great on peanut butter and crackers. Finally, it's great on pancakes with butter.
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Man with the Knowledge: Jamie Hardy
Editor: John Andrews (UberonN)
Creator: Mark Davies
Email: [e-mail]
Bama Country Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Sorghum syrup is great on hot southern biscuits.

[@katrinasheely9524]

Your video was short, thorough, informative and not annoying! Great job- and super interesting!

[@useful.knowledge]

Thanks for the kind comment.

[@brandykenoly6532]

Who knew I'd think this was cool. Was looking for videos on sorghum benefits

[@gggusc11]

Wonderful. Thanks for posting 👍

[@joeyhardin1288]

Thanks Jamie. The family had a vertical press and turned it with an old tricycle Farmall. The end product on those pancakes looked wonderful. God Bless and stay safe.

[@useful.knowledge]

Thanks for sharing. I tried to find one of those old vertical press before I purchased the GrainMaker press.

[@yeboscrebo4451]

Fantastic no-nonsense video! Thank you!!!!!

[@useful.knowledge]

Thanks!!

[@cursed_multicel]

This is a well done video. Not too long, and totally complete.

[@useful.knowledge]

Thanks!!!!

[@EarthRichHerbs]

Thank you so much for making this video!!

[@useful.knowledge]

Thanks!!

[@humnpwr]

Very interesting, nice video 👍

[@useful.knowledge]

Thanks!

[@wandaparker6183]

My Great ,great grand and my Great grand Dads would travel from farm to farm to make syrup for folks. My Dad, never kept the tradition going. So, here I am. I've never seen a plant to know what I'm seeing. HSIT. Thanks for sharing this "Useful Knowledge " I may try to do it for myself.(planting and all)I can do anything but fail. It's in me somewhere..Lol, the souths "maple syrup," well alone with the cane kind.

[@useful.knowledge]

Thanks for sharing. I love stories like this! I’m hearing from lots of folks about syrup making in the past. Really awesome!!

[@333Jessica]

This was great! Thank you

[@useful.knowledge]

Thank You!

[@realstatistician]

Very useful video, thank you!

[@useful.knowledge]

Thanks!

[@brisay1844]

Perfect information. Thank you so much.

[@useful.knowledge]

Thanks!

[@NorthTropics]

Your syrup looks great. I grow the save variety; Dale, and it does very good for me.

[@useful.knowledge]

Hi. Thanks! Dale is definitely a great sorghum variety.

[@igitahimsa5871]

Thank you SO much for making and posting this great video :-)! I *love* Sorghum Syrup, and am planning to grow Sorghum once I have finished this move, so am right now looking into what varieties to grow once the move is finished. My Sister grew Sorghum as a test and, not having a press, she blended the stalks in the blender and strained the juice out. She said it was the best-tasting thing ever! I wanted to see if I could develop a workable way to produce a version of Sorghum Syrup for a single household, so we don't *all* have to find a way to afford that wonderful equipment you folks use (Which I also love, but folks may not be able to afford..). However, it might also make a great post-shtf income for someone who has a mill they can move around to different growers maybe a day at a time for a fee.. Thank you again for being part of the Solution :-)! God Bless all of us who, like you, are working to make this world a better place for everybody..

[@useful.knowledge]

Hi. I just read this as I just got done looking at my new sorghum plants popping up in rows. I planted a wee ago and now they are up and growing. I just bought a small press off of Amazon for $250. It can be run manually. I’m going to use this as a backup to my main press. That may be good for a single household. I love making the syrup and my wife like the juice. I plant the Dale variety. It makes some great syrup. Thanks for your kind comments and God Bless!!

[@YetiMama]

Excellent video. I had no idea what to do with sorghum.

[@useful.knowledge]

Thanks!!

[@rogerscottcathey]

Sorghum syrup on buckwheat pancakes and butter. Yep

[@dakarimom4]

Do you rent usage of your press? I am attempting to grow sorghum this year and I was wondering how I can get the juice without a fancy press.

[@davidgeter9208]

Awesome video! We just planted some sorghum this year and are wanting to make syrup too. Where did you order your press if you don't mind me asking?

[@useful.knowledge]

Hi. Thanks!! The press is manufactured by Grain Maker.

[@billywatson8931]

nice job on the video, I tried planting sorghum the last two years but the aphid got me, I did notice that the fire ants were eating some of the aphid. I am going to have to stick with sugar cane for now here in UCLA ( upper corner of lower Alabama )

[@useful.knowledge]

Hey I just saw your comment. The aphids are horrible. As soon as I say the first few show up last season, I dusted the entire crop with diatomaceous earth. It stopped them cold. I’m planting 4 rows and then skip a row before the next four rows just so I can dust the aphids.

[@JohnSmith-ub5vn]

What do you do with the pile of pressed sorghum stocks?

[@dailyrider2975]

Great video, do you not use the seeds for next year instead of buying?

[@useful.knowledge]

Yes, I started saving seeds from a few stalks by letting them completely mature.

[@rachelstrahan2486]

👍

[@fassphoto]

I never had sorghum sirope. Do you sell those jars?

[@shelleypilcher3812]

What would be really great is to see you eat some pankakes with that and butter..?????

[@chrisharvey7461]

ive been growing tricolor for brooms, is that usable too?

[@useful.knowledge]

Hi. Unfortunately, the answer is no. Both are a variety of sorghum but the broom corn does not get sweet like the sweet sorghum varieties.

[@an67481]

Hey sir, have you looked into regenerative agriculture to cultivate your crop? No need of chemical input of any kind, and no need for a tractor and diesel.

[@billywatson8931]

We will be cooking syrup around the 6th of November 21, come by and watch or help feed the mill, We are jest north of Montgomery. Billy

[@useful.knowledge]

Hi. Thanks very much for the invite. I wish I could come down and watch. I did most of my growing up in Andalusia. Are you pressing sorghum or sugarcane?

[@billywatson8931]

@@useful.knowledge Thanks for the reply, We will be making sugar cane syrup , I have a video here on you tube, called (making sugar cane syrup in central Alabama.) and( feeding the sugar cane mill ) that shows my small syrup making , After I give away and keep a few jars for my self, the rest I take to the flee market to sell.

[@useful.knowledge]

Really cool syrup setup!! I just watched your video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJKkqomVbN5gfKs. That’s a great setup. Hey folks check out Billy’s channel for some really good info on growing sugarcane and making sugarcane syrup. I wish I could grow sugar cane up here in north Alabama but there seems to be a cutoff around B’Ham.

[@paulatwood998]

That was interesting what you showed us from field to jar. What kind of pricing is there on the cane pressing apparatus?

[@leeannlambert1354]

3,200 from grain maker...made in Montana

[@jayfromtexas6718]

Thanks for a great video. So if i did the math right, 8 gallons of juice yielded 7 pints? So a little less than a pint of syrup per gallon?

[@useful.knowledge]

That’s correct. Most of the if I have 8 gallons, I expect about 8 pints. That’s just my rule of thumb. There’s a lot of moisture cooking off going on when making syrup.

[@jayfromtexas6718]

@@useful.knowledge thanks for the response. I hope to be pestering you quite a bit next year!

[@useful.knowledge]

No problem. Go ahead and ask away. I’m actually growing sugarcane this year instead of sorghum. You can always email me at [e-mail]. I can share some pics of a new syrup setup. I also have some general do and don’t if you are getting into making syrup that will save you a lot of $

[@aaronpalmer5782]

Now I am running my 3 pipes to 1 tank is this my issue? I run on a 100# bottle one a 18"x4' Progressive pan for Maple Syrup

[@useful.knowledge]

I responded to your other comment. Let me know more about your venturi setup and maybe we can work it out. It usually involves slowing up or speeding up the flow of propane.

[@naasikhendricks1501]

Crop cover...?

[@benitomonney2752]

Hello, thank you so much very interesting information, where should I buy that sorghum machine please?

[@useful.knowledge]

Hi. The press in the video is a Grainmaker Sorghum Press. They cost about $3000 and can take 3-6 months to deliver. I just bought a cheap press off Amazon for $250 for a back up press. That came in two days.

[@benitomonney2752]

@@useful.knowledge thank you so much very helpful information.

[@scottsnodgrass4361]

Enjoyed it quite a bit. Have you done the math? Also, how big was your plot?

[@useful.knowledge]

My plot is about 1/4 of an acre

[@josephsatricleofevillanuev3194]

I thought you're supposed to cut off the unripe seed heads first and wait a while before harvesting the sorghum canes? Good to know.

[@useful.knowledge]

Hi. You definitely don’t have to cut them off. Some folks do this but I’ve found it easier to cut them off after sorghum cane has been cut down.

[@JohnSmith-ub5vn]

Can you share where to get the press machine and the burning pan?

[@useful.knowledge]

Hi. Grainmaker is the press machine. Smoky Lake Maple product for the pan.

[@zazugee]

i have questions, do you make syrup almost like sugar cane or do you also crush the seed's milk? did you cut it when seeds where almost ripe or before? how much syrup you got from how much surface?

[@useful.knowledge]

Hi. I don’t crush the seed head. It’s basically the same as sugarcane. I cut the cane when it’s about a week or two past the milk stage. Yes, when the seeds are almost ripe and in what’s called the hard dough stage. A sorghum seed is considered ripe when it’s so hard that you can’t press it with a thumbnail. I watch mine each day after the milk stage. The key to look for is when they start turning from green to red/brown.

[@zazugee]

@@useful.knowledge thanks for the information!

[@e.miller8943]

What do you do with the seeds? I just watched videos where the seeds could be used in cooking.

[@mrwbrown5312]

How much juice does one cane of sorghum produce?

[@useful.knowledge]

Hi. About 2 tablespoons of juice.

[@alanwhitaker1320]

I see where the syrup was scalding on the side of the pan. Is that from too much heat on the sides?

[@useful.knowledge]

It was a very slight residual scalding on the sides as the juice cooked down. It was probably the heat coming around the sides. It honestly didn’t affect the taste of the syrup and cleaned up quickly. I could probably put some fireplace/stove rope to alleviate the issue.

[@alokmohite411]

Hi sir can you explain me the importance of sorghum's syrup .I am from india

[@useful.knowledge]

Hi. It’s mainly made for folks that grew up eating a traditional southern breakfast of sorghum syrup on hot biscuits or using it in cookies.

[@alokmohite411]

@@useful.knowledge which sorghum variety is used for sorghum syrup.

[@useful.knowledge]

There are several varieties such as Sugar Drip, Dale, Mennonite, and Honey Drip

[@kalebmcdaniel9147]

Have you ever grown the sugar drip variety from the southern exchange seeds? If so did you notice a difference in flavor? And what other differences did you notice?

[@useful.knowledge]

Hi. I haven’t grew Sugar Drip. I grew Dale again this past season. When I first cooked it, it had a strong grassy aftertaste. After a few months, it tastes a lot better. I also think it was in pry due to the drought we had. I’m planting Mennonite this coming summer.

[@blumobean]

Pro tip: never trust a man that has an electric motor on his cane press. You are supposed to use mules, maybe a horse, to turn your press.

[@useful.knowledge]

True!!!

[@rockskipper5353]

I hear you get aphids from high nitrogen levels ... ants bring them in

[@useful.knowledge]

That is an interesting comment about the aphids. You do need med/high nitrogen to grow sorghum. The aphids in question here are the sugar cane aphids. A few years back, they decimated crops of sorghum (both sweet and grain). They decimated a 1/4 acre plot of mine two years ago.

[@rockskipper5353]

@@useful.knowledge ig u know the problem now ... but the real problem is monoculture gardening... all plants do different things for soil health wile depleting the soil of something another plants are providing ..( everything works together) ... but with monoculture gardening YOU have to work for the plants .... bring wild back

[@useful.knowledge]

I rotate crops every year specially to help rebuild the soil. I will plant peas or beans one year in an area and the next year I plant corn. Monoculture is efficient this manner for me personally.

[@rockskipper5353]

@@useful.knowledge I like growing volunteer crops and perennials ... I don't have my yard where I want it yet but eventually I will have plenty of food on my 2 acres to feed myself , family, and my neighbors .... im not trying to profit off the earth. I'm just trying to live and help the people around me live . World trade takes too much energy

[@useful.knowledge]

You can definitely do it. My garden plus sorghum patch is is only about 3/4 of an acre. All the best and much respect for growing your own food.